This is Steve Ember with the VOA Special English EducationReport.

Today we begin a series of programs about learning disabilities.These are disorders in the ways that people understand or uselanguage. They can affect the ability to listen or think, or tospeak, or to read and write. They can also affect the ability to domathematics.

A person with a learning disability has unusual difficulty indeveloping these skills. Researchers believe that learningdisabilities are caused by differences in the way that the brainworks with information. They say children with learning disabilitiesare not unintelligent or do not want to work. Their brains justprocess information differently than other people.

Researchers say that as many asone out of every five people in the United States has some kind oflearning disability. Almost three-million children in the UnitedStates receive some kind of help in school for a learningdisability.

How can you tell if someone has a learning disability? Expertslook for a difference between how well a child does in school andthe level of intelligence or ability of the child. But there is noone sign of a disorder.

A few signs of a learning disability include not connectingletters with their sounds or not understanding what is read. Aperson with a learning disability may not be able to understand afunny story. They may not follow directions. They may not readnumbers correctly or know how to start a task. Different people havedifferent kinds of learning disabilities. One person may havetrouble understanding mathematics. Another may have difficultyunderstanding what people are saying. Still another may not be ableto express ideas in writing.

These different kinds of learning disabilities are known bydifferent names. For example, a person who has difficulty readingmay have dyslexia. Someone who cannot do mathematics may have adisorder called dyscalculia.

Experts say learning disabilities cannot be cured. But people whohave them can be helped. Teachers and parents can help young peoplewith learning disabilities to learn successfully.

In the next few weeks, we will discuss different kinds oflearning disabilities. We will provide advice from specialists aboutways to deal with them. And we will also examine some of thepolitical issues involved in the area of special education.

This VOA Special English Education Report was written by NancySteinbach. This is Steve Ember.